Sailboards are widely used for recreation, exercise, and for sporting competition. And while they are relatively small and portable, they are ponderous, bulky items compared to other types of things humans usually carry. For example, in order to transport a conventional, rigid-hulled sailboard over any very significant distance, it is typically necessary to strap the board to the top of a vehicle or to place it in a specially-purchased rack on such a vehicle. Yet to place a typical rigid-hulled sailboard on top of a vehicle or in such a rack is difficult--or impossible, for many modestly-sized persons--and for the typical person involves at least unwarranted effort and expense. This is especially true when special made-for-the-purpose racks are used, as they typically involve more manipulation than does the laying of a sailboard on top of a vehicle, and as they are generally relatively expensive.
Various solutions to the problem of the bulkiness of the sailboards have been tried. One attempt has been to provide an inflatable hull for the sailboard, with various rigid components attached, so that the sailboard may to some extent be dismantled and stowed in a small container. Various embodiments of such boards have appeared, but none has proved fully satisfactory. Many of the designs, for instance, have involved rigid decks for attachment to the inflatable hulls, with the deck being substantially the same size as the hull itself--thus requiring essentially the same amount of space to store and transport the board as conventional rigid designs. Typically too, sailboard hulls in general, inflatable and otherwise, have tended to be relatively narrow, or short in beam, so that they have tended to roll excessively and thus to be difficult to handle, and especially difficult to learn to operate. Moreover, none of the means thus far put forth for attaching components--as for example masts, dagger boards, and the like--has proven either fully effective, efficient or reliable. Current designs need improvements in the design and construction of the hull, the mast, the sail, the boom, and most associated equipment. For example, most collapsible masts are bulky and difficult to operate, while mast-to-hull attachments are unreliable and restrict beneficial movement of the mast with respect to the hull. The attachments of sails to masts and booms is unreliable, and typically makes no allowance for adjustment of tension within the sail to allow for weather and the skill of the sailboard user. Mast-to-boom attachments are typically designed statically, so that no adjustment may be made for the size or skill of the operator. Mast, dagger board, and keel board attachments are unreliable, and either too flexible or not flexible enough, or are difficult or time consuming to attach or assemble. And virtually all sailboard designs fail to allow for other uses of the hull--as for example to allow the hull to be used as a simple flotation device, or to be towed behind a boat or jet-ski with a rider aboard, or for the purpose of transporting equipment and supplies, like a "water trailer", much less to be used with a removably mounted seat as a type of kayak. Similarly, boom design has been stagnant, the typical boom accommodating sails of only one size, with little tolerance for variation.
In short, none of the designs has provided a fully integrated, simple to use, easily assembled, reliable collapsible sailboard capable of being carried and stored easily and of being used in a variety of ways for different forms and styles of recreation.
Thus there is a need for a fully integrated, simple to use, easily assembled, reliable collapsible or inflatable sailboard capable of being carried and stored easily, and of being used in a variety of ways for different forms and styles of recreation, and having effective, efficient, and reliable means for the attachment of components and auxiliary equipment. And the provision of an affordable, cost-effective system of such type would be more beneficial yet.